CAT 2026 Last 6 Weeks Study Plan: Section-Wise Revision Schedule

With CAT 2026 expected in late November, the last 6 weeks are your highest-leverage window — shift entirely to consolidation, section-wise accuracy drills, and full-length mocks rather than learning any new topic.

Students who cross the 99th percentile in CAT do not study harder in the final weeks — they study smarter. This phase is about locking in what you already know across VARC, DILR, and QA, eliminating avoidable errors under timed conditions, and building the mental stamina to sustain focus across all three 40-minute sections. A structured week-by-week schedule is the single most reliable way to do that.

• CAT 2026 is expected in late November 2026 — IIM Ahmedabad is the likely convening body for this cycle.
• The exam has 3 sections: VARC (40 min), DILR (40 min), QA (40 min) — 120 minutes total, with sectional time limits strictly enforced.
• Each correct MCQ earns +3 marks; each wrong MCQ costs −1 mark. TITA questions carry no negative marking — never skip them.
• Divide your 6 weeks as: VARC (Weeks 1–2) → DILR (Week 3) → QA (Week 4) → Full mocks and review (Weeks 5–6).
• Take at least 2 full-length mocks per week from Week 4 onwards; by exam day, aim for 8–10 total mocks.

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CAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Quick Reference

Your revision plan must be built around the actual exam structure. CAT 2026 is expected to follow the format established in recent years:

TITA (Type-In-The-Answer) questions appear across all three sections and carry no negative marking. Prioritise these in your mock practice — a TITA you are 60% sure about is always worth attempting.

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6-Week Revision Timetable for CAT 2026

This master schedule assigns each week a primary section focus. Sectional mocks and error analysis run in parallel throughout:

Note: exact CAT 2026 date is subject to official announcement by the convening IIM. Adjust Week 6 dates once the official schedule is released.

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VARC Revision Plan: Weeks 1 and 2

VARC carries the highest question count and rewards students who read widely and consistently. Use the first two weeks as follows:

• Reading Comprehension (RC): Attempt 3–4 RC passages daily from CAT 2017–2025 papers. Prioritise inference-based and author-tone questions — these appear most frequently in recent CATs.
• Para-jumbles: Solve 10 para-jumble sets each day, starting with 4-sentence sets before moving to 5-sentence sets for difficulty progression.
• Odd Sentence Out and Para-Summary: These are TITA-type questions with no negative marking. Dedicate 20 minutes every day to these — they are high-reward, low-risk attempts.
• Daily reading habit: Read one long-form editorial or essay (at least 800 words) every morning to build comprehension speed under fatigue.

By the end of Week 2, you should comfortably attempt 18–20 out of 24 VARC questions with at least 80% accuracy on your practice sets before moving to the next section.

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DILR Revision Plan: Week 3

Most students drop marks in DILR not from lack of skill but from poor set selection. Week 3 should fix that:

• Attempt 2 sets per day — one moderate difficulty set and one hard set — from CAT 2017–2025 papers. This gives you exposure to every major format.
• Practice the 3-minute scan rule: At the start of any DILR section, spend exactly 3 minutes reading all set openings, then commit to the 4–5 most approachable ones. Drill this in every sectional mock.
• High-priority set types: Tables, bar graphs and line graphs, network and arrangement, and games-and-tournaments have appeared most frequently in recent CAT papers — master these first.
• Break the sunk-cost habit: If a set yields no breakthrough after 10 minutes, mark it and move on. Recovering that time on an easier set can net more marks.

Target by end of Week 3: complete 4–5 sets (16–18 questions) within 40 minutes with 75%+ accuracy in your practice sessions.

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QA Revision Plan: Week 4

QA rewards formula recall, calculation speed, and elimination technique. Dedicate Week 4 to a structured topic-by-topic blitz — not new learning:

Do not start any topic you have not previously studied in Week 4. This phase is for strengthening existing knowledge, not expanding it. Update a formula notebook daily and review it every morning for 15 minutes.

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Full Mock Test Schedule: Weeks 5 and 6

Full mocks in the final two weeks serve two purposes: performance calibration and strategy refinement. Reviewing a mock is as important as taking it.

• Week 5 — 2 full mocks: Take each mock at the same time of day as CAT (typically morning). Simulate exam conditions fully — no phone, no breaks, timer on. Spend 2–3 hours reviewing each mock the same evening.
• Week 6 — 3 full mocks: Increase frequency to build stamina. Stop taking new mocks by Day 5 of Week 6 — use the final 2 days only for error-pattern review from all previous attempts.
• Track these metrics per mock: section-wise net score, accuracy by question type, average time per question, and number of questions skipped vs. attempted wrong.
• Build your skip strategy: Identify 2–3 question types you will always skip on exam day (e.g., coordinate geometry or dense caselet sets). This frees 6–10 minutes per section for higher-confidence questions.

By the end of Week 6, having completed 8–10 full mocks total, you will have reliable data on your consistent score band and can set realistic section-wise attempt targets for exam day.

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Daily Routine for the Last 6 Weeks

• Morning (1.5–2 hours): Section-specific topic practice as per the weekly focus — RC passages, DILR sets, or QA drills.
• Afternoon (1–1.5 hours): Sectional mock — one section at a time under strict time limits.
• Evening (1 hour): Error analysis from the day’s practice; update your formula notebook with patterns you missed.
• Final week before exam: Reduce to 3–4 study hours per day. No new mocks after Day 5. Focus on formula notebook review and your strongest question types to build confidence.
• Last 3 days: Light revision only — 2 hours per day maximum. Fix your sleep schedule to a 7 AM wake time to align with CAT’s typical morning slot.